Means for mounting circular rails on rotary mills



Feb 15, 1955 P. L.. scHooNovER 2,702,218

MEANS FOR MOUNTING CIRCULAR RAILS ON ROTARY MILLS /224 UL L Senao/vo vs@d 7 /l/.s A Trag/V675 Feb. l5,` 1955 P. L. SCHOONOVER MEANS FOR MOUNTINGCIRCULAR RAILS ON ROTARY MILLS Filed Oct. 17, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l 44'ff-- tirnate engagement with the shell.

Unite The present invention relates in gener'alto rotary mills and, moreAparticularly,'te arail mounting for such structures, the term rotaryrnill?, as used herein, lbeing intended to include any rotary,shell-likeTstructureoperating about a generally horizontal 4axis',-suchas b'all mills,

vrod mills, tumblers, drier's, kilns, and the like.

As is Well known in y the art, a rotary mill includes a shell ofcircular cross section rotating about "a generally horizontal axis inwhich materials are crushed, tumbled, dried, fired, or the like.Encircling theshell are annular rails which rest'on rollers, the lattersupporting the shell and rendering it rotatable about 'itsvaXis Aprimary object Yof the present invention isf'to provide an improvedmounting means r'or'eonnecting therails to the shell.

More particularly, an important Aobject ,of the invention is lto providecam means carried by th'eshell'and engaging the rails for biasing therails radiallyfinwardly into in- `In efect, the cam means shrink theannular Yrails onto the shell so as to secure them to the shell in'apositive manner.

`Another object is to lproidef'a ,cani'means yfor shrinking the annularrails onto the shell which permits ready removal of the rails forreplacement, if this should ever become necessary.

Another important objectof the invention is toprovide each railwith abase having thereon an annular cam surface which'converges toward'one-end o ftheshell, and to provide a cam ring encircling the `shelland 'having `an annular cam surface thereon which is v'doin'plernentaryto and in engagement with the camsu'rfaee on the'ail, the invcntionincluding cam actuating me'a'ns 'carried by lthe shell andengaging'thefcam ring for biasingthe carnring 'axially of the shell ina`directionsuch that the earn surface on the cam ring tendsto'ride`up"'the complementary cam surface on the rail hase so asto biasthe ra1lb'a'se radially inwardly into intimate "engagementwiththefs'hell. 4.

Another object is'toprovideartaryinill wherein the v rails are arrangedin pairsvand in'which-the ca-m'rings'associated with the rails of eaeh,pair'areb'ed `theishell in opposite direetionsby'theeorrespndingeamactuating "means, A related `o`bject is to .'proi/ide'a ,rotaryv 'millwhereinthe annular cam surfaees 'o'n'therails of eah "pairface away fromeach ether 'and whereinfthe annular camsurfaces on the camringsof`eaehlipairffacetoward eachother, the cam rings'beitig biased toward eahother axially of by the respective cam actuatingfnieans.

Another object is to prvidefclaiping means betweenv and engageabie withthe basesof the'r'ailsofeaehpair' for additionally securing the railsfotlieshell. lA'related ob- `ject is to providefthe clampingineanswithannulr can States Patent U surfaces respectively engageablewith ther'nnulareahr surfaeeson therail bases f'eachpairoffra'ils.

A further object is to provide'the shell 'withvannular jgrooves thereinreceiving:therail'bases'so'asto keythe rails against movement airiallyofVthe shell.

A further obiect is to up ro'vide annulr'rails ot' 'sectidnalkconstruction, the clamping means and the cam means v'forming the solemeans of lconnecting 'therail sections together and 'to the shell.

Another object is toprovidejin asseiation`- with Aeach pairoi railstwoormoreV pairs of oppdsnely flanged rollers, the flanges on the rollersof eachpair'engaglngthe respective rails ofthe corresponding airon'opposite fsides` thereofto` prevent aiiial shiftlng'ofthesh'ellrelative to thes'upportingr'ollers.

a runner abiertas to previste -`af'rstaw situ nner-ein ECC 2 the railsare ordinary railroad rails and vwherein the rollers are ordinaryrailroad wheels. 'Ihisjprovide's iali'o'tary mill mount which isunusually durable "and yet-much less expensive than prior rotary millmounts.

The foregoing objects and vadvantages of 'the .present invention,together with various other objects and advantages thereof which Vwillbecome apparent, maybe attained with the exemplary embodiments of theinvention which are illustrated inthe accompanying drawings and whichare described lin detail hereinafter. Referring to the drawings:

Fig. l is a side elevationalview of a rotary 'millwhich embodiesthe'invention; .Y

Fig. 2 is an end elevational view of the rotary inill and is taken alongthe arrowed line 2 -'2 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view'onan enlarged lcale1 which istaken along the ari-'owed line V3--3 f Fig. 4 is a fragmentary'sectional'view on an enlarged sFcale2 which is taken along the arrowedline 4 4 of Fig. 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary side elevational View ofthe rotary mill ofthe invention, 'thefplane f the sectional View of Fig.4 also-being indicated onFig. i5;

Fig. 6 is a view on a reduced scale which is siinilarfto Fig. 4, butwhich illustrates another embodirnent-`ofthe invention; and

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken alongtle arrowed line 7-7of Fig. 6.

Referring particularly 'to Figs. l and 72 of the-"dra`wings, the rotarymill illustrated therein includes a cylindrical shell 1G which isrotatable'about an axis A-A that is at least generally horizontal.'Mounted on theshell 1l0 are two pairs of annular'r'ailsZ. Each pairofrailsI'Z engages two horizontally spaced pairs of `rollers or wheels13, which support'the shell -10and .provide 'for its rotation about theax-is A-A. `Ore wheel`13 of each pair engages one of the rails `12'ofthe corresponding pair of rails, and the other'wheelofeac'h pair engagesthe other rail of the corresponding` pair of rails. The wheels of eachpair are oppositely flanged, the anges engaging the sides of the railsto ,prevent axial movement of the shell it?. In the particularconstruction illustrated,fthe wheels 13 on the left in Fig. l havetheirflangesengaging the outer sides of the rails'of the vcorrespondingpair,

, shell 10.

Asbest shown in.Figs.2 and .3 -of lthe draWings,--each rail 12preferably comprises twofor morerailsectionsfl to facilitate shaping therails and -tofacilitateeapplying them to the shell 19, 'the-junctionsfbetween theril sections being indicated by the `numeral 122.Preferably, slight gaps vbetween the `rail sections y'21 are provided fat the junctions 22, As willibecome apparent, -therrailsil'l are securedto the shell 10in such a1manner that `no splices, or other connections,betweenrthevsections l21er each, rail are necessary.

Referring particularly V,td-Figs, 4-and S'of the `drawings, each rail12'is-providedfwitlrarelatively widebase `2,3, a head A2li whichisengaged rbythegrimsaand flanges of the corresponding supportingwheelslyand Ianginterconnecting web ,25. As best shown in-Figx4 ofthedrawings, the .rails 12 of each pair are lprovided, -ontheir bases 23,with annular cam-surfaces'26 whichconverge toward opposite l ends fofthe -shell 10 and which, -inf-the particular construction illustrated,lfacefawayifrom each other. The rail bases v23of eachpairofra'slz arealso provided 'with other'annularcanisurfaees 2,7 which al f convergetoward opposite ends of'thefslll "10 and in the" particularConstruction.illustrated, are lpted" preferable, the rail bases of suchordinary railroad rails are already shaped to provide the aforementionedannular cam surfaces 26 and 27 once the rails have been formed incircular congurations, which is an important advantage of utilizingordinary railroad rails since no machining is necessary to provide theannular cam surface 26 and 27.

The external surface of the shell 1G is provided with axially-spacedpairs of axially-spaced, annular grooves 331 therein, the rails bases 23being disposed in the annular grooves 31, respectively. With thisconstruction, the rails 12 are keyed against movement axially of theVYshell 10.

Disposed between the rails 12 of each pair is a clamping means 32 havingannular cam surfaces 33 thereon which are complementary to and inengagement with the respective cam surfaces 27 of the corresponding pairof rails. The clamping means 32 is of sectional construction andincludes a plurality of arcuate clamps 34 which, collectively, encirclethe shell 1l) and which are secured to the shell, as by screws 35extending therethrough and threaded into the shell.

The rails 12 of each pair are also secured to the shell by a pair ofcontinuous cam rings 3S which encircle the shell and which are providedwith cam surfaces 39 complementary to and in engagement with therespective cam surfaces 26 of the corresponding pair of rails. As willbe apparent, if the cam rings 38 of each pair are biased toward eachother, as in the particular construction illustrated, the cam surfaces39 thereof tend to ride up on the cam surfaces 25 of the correspondingrails 12 so as to bias the corresponding rail bases 23 into intimateengagment with the shell 10. In other words the effect of biasing thecam rings 38 toward each other, in the particular constructionillustrated, is to shrink the corresponding pair of rails 12 onto theshell 10 in much the Vsame manner as hoops are shrunk onto a barrel.This insures a positive connection between the rails 12 and the shell10, but permits ready removal of the rails for replacement if this isever necessary, which is an important feature of the invention.

The cam rings 38 are biased toward each other by a pair of actuatingmeans 41 andV 42, respectively. The actuating means 41 comprises anactuating ring 43 which encircles the shell 1l) and engages one of thecam rings 38, the actuating ring 43 being formed in two pieces in theparticular construction illustrated. Extending through the actuatingring 43 and threaded into one end of the shell li) are actuating screws44 which, when tightened, force the corresponding cam ring 38 toward thecorresponding rail 12 to cause the corresponding cam surface 39 to camup over the corresponding cam surface 26, thereby tending to shrink the,corresponding rail 12 onto the shell 10. Similarly, the actuating means42 comprises an actuating ring 4S which encircles the shell 10 adjacentthe other rail 12 of the pair under consideration. Welded, or otherwisesecured, to the shell 10 adjacent the actuating ring 45 are lugs 46through which actuating screws 47 are threaded, the actuating screwsbearing against the actuating ring 4S so that, when tightened, theycause the corresponding cam ring 38 to cam up over the cam surface 26 ofthe corresponding rail 12 to tend to shrink this rail onto the shell 10also. Thus, by tightening the actuating screws 44 and 47 so as to biasthe cam rings 38toward each other, both rails 12 are biased radiallyinwardly and are, in elfect, shrunk onto the shell 10 to provide apositive connection between the rails and the shell. However, it will beapparent that the rails 12 may be removed readily for replacement ifthis should ever be necessary, which is an important feature of theinvention. Also, with this construction, no splices, or other directconnections, between the sections 21 of the rails 12 are necessary,which is an important feature.

The embodiment of Figs. 6 and 7 of the drawings is similar to thatdescribed previously and identical reference numerals are employed forcorresponding components, except that the suflix "a has been addedthereto. `The main difference between the two embodiments is that, inthe embodiment o f Figs. 6 and 7, the actuating means 41a is identicalto the actuating means 42a and includes an actuating ring 45a which isoperated upon by screws 47a threaded through lugs 46a, the latter beingshown as riveted to the shell 10a. The only other difference is that thearcuate clamps 34a of the clamping means 32a are riveted to the shell10a, instead of being bolted thereto.

Although exemplary embodiments of the invention have been disclosedherein for purposes of illustration, it will be understood that variousminor changes, modifications and substitutions may be incorporated inthe embodiments disclosed without necessarily departing from the spiritof the invention.

l claim as my invention:

l. ln a rotary mill, the combination of: a rotary shell; a pair of railson the exterior of and encompassing said shell; a pair of oppositelyactuating cam means carried by said shell and engaging said rails,respectively, and biasing said rails radially inwardly into intimateengagement with said shell for securing said rails to said shell;clamping means between said rails for securing same to said rotaryshell; and rollers engaging said rails for supporting said shell.

2. In a rotary mill, the combination of: a rotary shell of circularcross section; rails on the exterior of and encircling said shell, eachof said rails having a base contacting said shell and provided with anannular cam surface thereon which converges toward one end of saidshell; cam rings encircling said shell and having annular cam surfacesthereon complementary to and respectively engaging said cam surfaces onsaid rail bases; cam actuating means carried by said shell andrespectively engaging said cam rings for biasing said cam rings axiallyof said shell and toward said cam surfaces on said rail bases,respectively, so as to bias said rail bases radially inwardlyintointimate engagement with said shell; clamping means between and engagingsaid rails for securing same to said shell; and rollers engaging saidrails for supporting said shell.

3. In a rotary mill, the combination of: a rotary shell of circularcross section; a pair of rails on the exterior of and encircling saidshell, said rails having bases contacting said shell and provided withannular cam surfaces thereon which respectively converge toward oppositeends of said shell; a pair of cam rings encircling said shell andprovided with annular cam surfaces thereon complementary to andrespectively engaging said cam surfaces on said rail bases; a pair ofcam actuating means carried by said shell and respectively engaging saidcam rings for biasing said cam rings axially of said shell in oppositedirections and toward said cam surfaces on said rail bases,respectively, so as to bias said rail bases radially inwardly intointimate engagement with said shell; means between said rails forspacing said rails apart to resist any tendency for said cam rings todisplace said rails relative to said shell in axial directions; andpairs of rollers engaging said pair of rails for supporting said shell.

4. In a rotary mill, the combination of: a rotary shell of circularcross section; a pair of rails on the exterior of and encircling saidshell, said rails having bases contacting said shell and provided withannular cam surfaces thereon which converge toward opposite ends of saidshell and which face away from each other; a pair of cam ringsencircling said shell and provided with annular cam surfaces thereoncomplementary to and respectively engaging said cam surfaces on saidrail bases, said cam surfaces on said cam rings facing toward eachother; a pair of cam actuating means carried by said shell andrespectively engaging said cam rings for biasing said cam rings axiallyof said shell and toward each other so as to bias said rail basesradially inwardly into intimate engagement with said shell; meansbetween said rails for spacing said rails apart to prevent axialdisplacement of said rails relative to said shell by said cam rings; andpairs of oppositely flanged rollers engaging said pair of rails forsupporting said shell.

5. A rotary mill as defined in claim 4 wherein said rail bases areprovided with other annular cam' surfaces thereon which respectivelyconverge toward opposite ends of said shell and which face toward eachother, said spacing means including clamping means between said railsand having annular cam surfaces thereon which are complementary to andrespectively engage said other cam surfaces on said rail bases, saidclamping means being secured to said shell.

6. A rotary mill as defined in claim 5 wherein said shell is providedwith a pair of axially spaced, circumferential grooves therein, saidrail bases being seated in saidv grooves, respectively.

M fr.

7. A rotary mill as defined in claim 4 wherein each of said camactuating means comprises a plurality of screws threadedly connected tosaid shell and acting on the corresponding cam ring.

8. A rotary mill as defined in claim 4 including another pair of rails,another pair of cam rings, another pair of cam actuating means and otherpairs of oppositely flanged rollers having the same relationships tosaid shell and to each other as the pair of rails, the pair of camrings, the pair of cam actuating means and the pairs of oppositelyilanged rollers dened in claim 4.

9. A rotary mill as defined in claim 4 wherein each of said actuatingmeans includes an actuating ring engaging the corresponding cam ring andincludes a plurality of screws threadedly connected to said shell andengaging the corresponding actuating ring.

10. A rotary mill as defined in claim 4 wherein said rail bases areprovided with other annular cam surfaces thereon which respectivelyconverge toward opposite ends of said shell and which face toward eachother, said spacing means including clamping means between said railsand having annular cam surfaces thereon which are complementary to andrespectively engage said other cam surfaces on said rail bases, saidclamping means being secured to said shell, said clamping meansincluding two or more arcuate clamps disposed between said rails andsecured to said shell.

11. A rotary mill as defined in claim 4 wherein said rails are ordinaryrailroad rails and wherein said anged rollers are ordinary railroadWheels.

12. In a rotary mill, the combination of: a rotary Shell of circularcross section; a rail on the exterior of and encircling said shell, saidrail having a base contacting said shell and provided on opposite sidesthereof with annular cam surfaces which respectively converge towardopposite ends of said shell; clamping means secured to said shell on oneside of said rail and having an annular cam surface thereon which iscomplementary to and in engagement with the annular cam surface on thecorresponding side of said rail base; a cam ring encircling said shelland having an annular cam surface thereon which is complementary to andin engagement with the cam surface on the opposite side of said railbase; cam actuating means carried by said shell and engaging said camring for biasing said cam ring axially of said shell in a directionopposite to the direction of convergence of the cam surface on said railbase which said cam ring engages, whereby to bias said rail baseradially inwardly into intimate engagement with said shell; and rollersengaging said rail for supporting said shell.

13. A rotary mill as dened in claim 12 wherein said clamping meanscomprises two or more arcuate clamps secured to said shell.

References Cited in the ile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 778,854Giesler Jan. 3, 1905 1,055,599 Ball Mar. 11, 1913 1,562,937 Beardsley etal. Mar. 24, 1925 FOREIGN PATENTS 11,085 Great Britain 1905

